Brake upgrade order, go step by step or all in?
 

I daily drive my 33,000 mi BRZ and am looking to work on the brakes. I haven't flushed the fluids since I got the car so that's the first thing I would do. Motul RBF600 seems to be a good recommended fluid and that's what I'd go with.

Since I'm messing with the lines doing the flush, I was thinking about upgrading to stainless steel lines to improve the feel. This one I'm not so sure with since I don't track or autocross and I always keep ample spacing between me and the car in front as to not always stop suddenly. If I were to replace with ss lines, do I replace both front and rear or just front?

I originally wanted to get pads but my stock ones are still good. I'll take a look at the pad thickness when I rotate my wheels this weekend. But if they're thin, should I replace just the front or both? I've bookmarked Winmax W2 pads a long time ago, are these still recommended?

I'll also be getting a master cylinder brace off the used market as that can be something I can resell should I find it not be that much of an improvement.

Given you aren't planning to autox or track:

- Keep OEM lines. Not worth upgrading for your application, IMHO. Use money towards registration for a driving school (e.g. 86 Dynamic Driving Academy) or autox.
- Use RBF 660 instead of 600. A few dollars more expensive, but also less prone to boiling during spirited driving.
- You don't have to replace both front and rear pads at once. Check your fronts and replace if needed, rears usually last longer.
- Winmax W2 or W3 are good for DD with occasional spirited driving where you don't brake too often or too hard.

I remember missing out on something like this back in 2013 and never thought it'd come back, but it looks like it's still around! Thanks for the recommendation!

Follow 86 DDA on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/86DDA) to get notified about upcoming events, they sell out quickly. They usually do an event every few months...

The W2 has been supersceded by the W3. An alternative would be the G-Loc R6 or Carbotech AX6.

If I were you, I'd just flush the brake fluid with stock fluid... Leave it stock unless you have a specific reason to change it. Even the master cylinder brace is probably not worth doing.

if he's going to flush his fluid, might as well get some higher performance fluid for a better pedal feel. I don't see ANY reason to stick with the OEM fluid unless you're taking it to the dealership and having them do it. the price difference is negligible.

I have the MCB from GrimmSpeed, with everything else stock so far. Incidentally I am having braided steel brake lines installed tomorrow.

The MCB is definitely a worthwhile upgrade on it's own. You don't have to worry about wanting to resell it again, because you will want to keep it once you realise how much flex was actually in the firewall.

After the brake lines, next up for me is brake cooling - second hand Porsche lower control arm spoilers which I already have.

Lastly planned is pad upgrade to Cabone Lorraine RC5+ in the front.

Price difference:
1L of generic DOT4, OE, or ATE-200: $20-$25
1L of Motul 600 or 'greater': $35-$60+

Hydraulic fluid is hydraulic fluid, as long as you're buying something that meets the spec (DOT-4), 'feel' will be negligible (and mostly placebo) unless you are actually working the brakes hard enough where boiling point comes into play.

imo there's no reason to chuck $15+ out the window every year or two to have fluid that's over-qualified for it's duties. Besides ATE-200 gets fucktons of love even from track junkies, at less than $20/L (on Amazon right now) if you're not actually utilizing the higher boiling point I say save the money.

Are CL RC5+ comparable in price to Ferodo DS2500 in Europe? In North America, CL is approximately 2x the price of comparable hybrid pad (DS2500, AX6, R6, HC+800, W3, etc.)

Change the brake fluid and you're good to go, i track my 86 often and stock pads + RBF600 was pretty decent, so i can't see why you would need more than that, specially considering your driving habits.

They are considerably cheaper here.

I have RC5+ front pads now, they do work well. Do you happen to know if they're available for the Essex Sprint/Endurance kits? I might end up getting one of those but i'd really like to stick to RC5's.

Essex offers the CL pads... I'd guess they fit. It's possible the 5+ isn't available but the pad spec they use is very common so you should be able to verify.

While we can definitely make stock pads work for the track, they are definitely a setback when you're trying to do more than one lap at a time. We don't recommend that setup for various reasons, however, one thing we do like to point out is, we do enjoying hitting the same braking points consistently from lap to lap...so take that suggestion into consideration on how we setup cars. :)

RC5+ is a good hybrid pad, but they're so expensive in North America, it's almost better to just go for more boutique track pad. BBK pad selection do need to be setup accordingly. Some of our more skilled clientele do have to have the right pad setup to maximize their braking potential and consistency. We have had several Essex kits shipped overseas so if you have any questions, please let us know on how we can help. Also, I do believe we have several sets of RC6 on the shelf for the Sprint and Endurance kits. :thumbups:

I think we sold 3x RC5+ pads for the Essex kit and all have moved up to a full track pad. These include 999 (our favorite), DS1.11, XP12, RC8, etc. :)